Blank book.



J. .W. GEARHART.

BLANK BOOK.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 29, 1908.

Patented Mar. 21 1911.

attuned THE noRmS PETERS co. u'AsHmcraN. o. c

JOHN W. GEAR/HART, 0F FRESNO, CALIFORNIA.

BLANK BOOK.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JoI-IN IV. GEARHART, a citizen of the United Statesof America, residing at Fresno, in the county of Fresno and State ofCalifornia,'have invented new and useful Improvements in Blank Books, ofwhich the following is a specification.

This invention relates to blank books, and one of the principal objectsof the same is to provide a book in which each of the leaves will lieflat when the book is open, to facilitate the making of entries thereon.

Blank books as usually constructed are so bound in covers and connectedto a backing to render it almost impossible to have a flat writingsurface, the leaves being curved at points adjacent to the binding. Thisis particularly true where a thick, highly-calendered or high gradepaper is used for the leaves.

It is one of the principal objects of my invention to provide meanswhereby the paper will lie flat, to facilitate writing, whether a thickor a thin paper of any grade is used for the leaves.

Another object of my invention is to provide a temporary or a permanentbinding for such leaves, said binding being in the form of a holder forthe leaves, and said holder causing each leaf to lie flat until turnedover after having been used.

These and other objects may be attained by means of the constructionillustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which,

Figure l is a plan view of a portion of a book constructed and bound inaccordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a vertical section through thesame. Fig. 3 is a back or edge view of the same. Fig. 4: is a plan viewof a temporary binder for the detachable leaves prepared in accordancewith my invention. Fig. 5 is a side elevation showing the binderillustrated in Fig. 4 with a series of leaves connected thereto. Fig. 6is a modified form of temporary binder. Fig. 7 is a side elevationillustrating a series of leaves prepared in accordance with my inventionand connected to said binder.

In carrying out my invention I prepare the leaves of my book byweakening or rendering more flexible said leaves at a point adjacent tothe binding of the book. In order to render the leaves more flexible atthe point at which they are to be doubled over in opening the book andusing one leaf after Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed September 29, 1908.

Patented Mar. 21, 1911.

Serial No. 455,242.

the other, either a portion of the leaf may be removed'at this point orthe sheet may be punctured to render it more flexible. Instead ofcutting away a portion of the sheet, slits may be formed in the sheet atthe point at which it is to be doubled.

Referring to the drawing, the sheets or leaves 1 are each provided witha series of tabs 2, the space between the tabs representing a portion ofpaper which has been re moved to render the sheet more flexible at thispoint so that it will lie smoothly upon one of the covers of the binder.

From the foregoing it will be obvious that it is my purpose to adopt anysuitable means to render the leaves or sheets making up the book moreflexible at the point near the binder, and in order to do this I mayadopt any of the means referred to, or any means which will serve thispurpose.

Referring to Figs. 1, 2 and 3 it will be seen that the binding devicefor the leaves consists of a suitable back 3 to which the top and bottomcovers 4 are hinged by means of the curled-over portions 5 and thepintles 6. The leaves 1 are connected together by means of a suitableclamp 7. In this construction it is desirable that one of the covers 4shall be held rigidly in place or locked at right angles of the back inorder that there shall be an absolutely flat surface to support theleaves to be written upon. I provide a series of pins 8 mounted in thesolid back 3 and permitted to slide therein, said pins engaging smallsockets 9 formed in the curled-over portions 5 and in the pintles 6.These pins, when the book is placed upon a table, will drop into thelowermost socket 9, thus permitting the upper cover 4 to be swung uponthe pintle 6, while the lower cover is prevented from moving relativelyto the back 3. hen the book is turned over to use the other side of thepages, the covers will be first closed and then the book turned over sothat what was previously the under cover will become the top cover andduring this turning of the book the locking pins will shift, so as toautomatically lock the previous top cover and unlock the previous bottomcover and in this manner the back of the binding will be held rigidly atright angles to the under cover.

Referring to Figs. 4 and 5, the temporary binder comprises a stiff piece10 hav- Referring to Fig. 7, the binder let has an angular clamping end15 to hold the sheets 1 in place.

Referring to Figs. 8 and 9, the binder consists of a strip of metal 7for holding the sheets 1, said binder or strip 7 being connected, asshown in Fig. 2, to the back 3 of the book. hen the leaves of the bookare opened and turned back, the 1 turn around the front or outer edge ofthe top flange or member of the part 7 of the binder and in order thatthe leaves can curve around the said edge with the sharp turn and remainturned back, the leaves are weakened in the manner described.

By means of my invention blank books of all kinds may be provided inwhich the leaves will lie fiat when the book is open to facilitate theoperation of writing, while the cost of production is but slightly inadvance of ordinary books of this character.

I claim 1. A blank book provided with a plurality of leaves, with abinding therefor including hinged covers, a back, and means disposed inand movable transversely to the back for simultaneously locking onecover in fixed position to the back while unlocking the other cover.

2. A blank-book made up of leaves ren dered flexible at the point offolding by means of multiple lines of slits, a binder to which saidleaves are secured, said binder comprising cover sections and a back,said cover sections being hinged to said back, and means for holding oneof said cover sections rigidly at right angles to said back.

3. A blank-book provided with leaves having weakened, flexible portionsat the points at which said leaves are folded in opening the book or inturning the leaves, in combination with a binding comprising covermembers hinged to a back, and sliding pins in said back for engaging oneof said cover members to hold it rigidly at right angles to said back.

4. A blank-book comprising a series of leaves rendered flexible at thepoint of fold, in combination with a back, cover members hinged to saidback, and means for holding one of said cover members rigidly to theback when said book is open.

5. In a book of the class described, the combination of a plurality ofleaves, with a binding therefor, said binding including a back, hingedcovers connected with the back, and a device carried by the back andarranged to automatically lock one cover to the back and unlock theother by turning the book over while the covers are closed.

6. In a book of the class described, the combination of a series ofleaves, with a binding including a back, covers hingedly connected withthe back, and a slidable element arranged in the back to engage onecover or the other for locking the same at right angles to the back.

7. A binding of the class described comprising a back, covers, hingesconnecting the covers with the back, and a plurality of movable devicesin the back for locking one cover in fixed relation to the back whilethe other cover is free to move.

8. A binding of the class described comprising a back, covers, hingesconnecting the covers with the back, and a slidable device mounted inthe back and arranged to engage one hinge or the other by turning thebinding over to automatically lock one cover to the back and release theother cover therefrom.

9. A binding of the class described comprising a back, covers, hingesconnecting the covers with the back, reversible means in the back forlocking one cover in fixed relation to the back while the other cover isfree to move, and a device secured to the back for attaching leavesthereto.

10. A binder comprising a back, covers, hinges connecting the coverswith the back, said hinges having sockets, and a slidable elementadapted to gravitate into the socket of one hinge and out of the socketof the other hinge to lock the under cover to the back and release theupper cover therefrom.

11. A binder of the class described comprising a back, stiff coversseparately and hingedly connected with the back, and a reversiblelocking device extending transversely to the back for holding one coverimmovable with respect to the back.

12-. A binder of the class described comprising a back, stiff coversseparately and hingedly connected with the back, and a common lockingdevice for holding one cover at a time locked to the back, said lockingdevice being concealed within the back and comprising an element movableto engage with the covers.

In testimony whereof, I aflix my signa ture, in presence of twowitnesses.

JOHN W. GEARHART.

Vitnesses E. E. Hnoims, C. T. VVALToN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

